Britain on the couch: UK therapists share our biggest worries
From porn addiction to body dysmorphia, Britons no longer find therapy taboo. But what do their problems tell us about the nation's mental state? Therapists open up to Louise Chunn
Euan Ferguson: ‘I think,’ I stuttered… ‘I think I’ve had a stroke’
Euan Ferguson lives on his own. One morning his body stopped working, but pride and his independent spirit meant he didn't call anyone for two days. Here, he tells a story of the importance of friends and family
I always wanted to be a mother
Anonymous: From as young as I can remember I always wanted to have children. Find a man, have unprotected sex, then worry about all the rest later was the plan
What I’m really thinking: the vasectomy patient
'I have a glimpse at the indignity of childbirth, of cervical smears. But my main concern is why can I see smoke rising from my crotch?'
The sadness of separation
I cry all the time – I didn't realise being a single mother would be so hard. Thank goodness my mum is coming
The seven stages of separation
Anonymous: We've been ill and R and I have been arguing about a parenting decision. It seems like I'll be stuck on stage three of the seven stages of separation – anger and bargaining – for some time
Loneliness is an inevitable result of Britain’s economic model
Aditya Chakrabortty: The health secretary is wrong on who loneliness affects and wrong on what causes it
The novel that gives me insight into my alcoholic husband
I have sort of fallen in love with a character in a novel who is a fortysomething hard-drinking writer – a brutal narcissist and over-the-hill, womanising alcoholic. Some would say I have questionable taste in men
I’ve stopped obsessing about my ex
I'm enjoying time away from my husband and the children. Until recently, he was on my mind all the time – finally I can stop obsessing about him
My house needs a rejig – and so does my brain
It's easy to get addicted to self-pity but making a list of my five best and worst moments each day helps